13 Women Are Revealing The Deepest Secret They're Actually Really Proud Of, And I Wasn't Expecting This
Let's be honest: We all keep secrets for different reasons. So when Reddit user u/Final_Designer5930 asked in the r/AskWomen community, "What secret are you most proud of and why?" I was pleasantly surprised by how wholesome they were. Here's what they had to say:
1."I saw my son take his first steps, just me. I didn’t tell my son’s dad because I knew it would have gutted him. He was working a lot at the time and missed a lot of 'firsts,' so when our son took his 'first' steps, the look on his face was one I’ll never forget. I’m really glad I kept that secret."
2."Someone I knew through the local music scene posted on social media a picture of some crappy meal she made with the only food she had left in the house. Her boyfriend was on tour with his band, so she was having to make ends meet with only her income and couldn't afford groceries. A couple of hours later, someone ding-dong ditched her with groceries. She still doesn't know it was me."
3."I had a really good friend cheat on her boyfriend of nearly four years. She told me she loved him but he sucked at sex, so she had been sleeping with a coworker. I ended up making a fake email and emailing her boyfriend to tell him to look through her phone and watch her closely. He ended up catching her. She told me, 'He found out! He told me someone told him!' And she was sobbing and hugging me. Little did she know it was me. LOL. Don't cheat."
4."My dad loves to eat and enjoys takeout. However, he would never order anything for himself. My dad was born into poverty and worked really hard for his success. He is well off now. He spoils me and mom but never spends a dime on himself. He goes, 'Buy anything you want, sweetie. Ask Mom what she wants. I'm not hungry. I'm gonna eat leftovers for lunch.' So I order his favorite food for him and pass it off as a 'Buy one, get one' offer. The conversation usually goes like, "Hey, Dad. I'm starving. I just won a coupon in the food app. I got a box of butter chicken with a plate of chicken biriyani. Can you polish off the biriyani?"
5."I was a nurse in a chronic outpatient dialysis clinic. One of my patients was dumped by his wife over the stress of his illness. He had to move out with nothing. Without breaking privacy rules, I organized a 'household' drive in my community. I got his permission to bring my husband and son by his new apartment. I delivered him everything from pots and pans, a couch, bed, dresser, TV, etc. Even things like paper towels and toilet paper. It completely shocked him and brought him to tears. I swore him to secrecy, and no one at work ever knew. I guess I’m proud of it because I believe you should do generous or charitable things as quietly as possible or anonymously. You do things for the person who needs your help, not for praise."
6."I took the SATs and got a good score. I never told my family. I just wanted to see if I could do it. I don't know why I never told anyone."
7."In high school, this group of 'cool boys' would call my friend 'piggy' because of her weight, snorted at her in the hallways, and just acted absolutely awful to her. I sold them weed pen cartridges weekly and decided I’d had enough with their shitty behavior going unpenalized. One week, I drained the concentrate out of the cartridge I was going to sell to them and refilled it with rose hip oil. I sold them the cartridge for $70, and they shared it among their grimy little selves all week, telling me it was 'gas.' My friends and I watched on as they acted belligerently high all week. We had quite the giggle, and I never told them."
8."When I was 18, I was still studying and working at a supermarket to support my needs as a student. I became (and still am) extremely close with a girl my age working full time there. She is my best friend in the whole world. At the time we became friends at work, she opened up to me that her mother was in hospice with a terminal brain tumor. Her father had left them when the mom was diagnosed. I was speechless and didn’t know how I could help her. Her mom was slowly withering away, and she used up all her vacation leave to spend time with her. When her mom was at the very end, it was a great heartache to see my friend in this state. She had to continue coming to work because they needed money. I kept thinking of how I could help her. And then it hit me."
"I went to human resources and told them that I wanted to donate all the vacation days that I had to my friend. In my country, we have 20 days of paid leave per year. I gave her what I had left, which was 18 days. I told them I wanted to remain anonymous. They accepted and, inspired by my gesture, gave her a full month (31 days) instead of only 18 days.
"I will never forget her face and tears of joy as she came to tell me that HR had given her a whole month of paid leave to spend with her dying mother. Her mom passed away peacefully surrounded by her daughters (my friend is the eldest, with two younger sisters).
"If my friend didn’t have the extra vacation leave, she would have missed the opportunity to be with her mother in those final moments. I am by no means a perfect person, but this is something that I am proud of. All of my life prior to this, I felt that I have had moments of selfishness, but this was a pivotal moment in my life, teaching me the importance of empathy and putting someone else’s needs before mine.
"In my country, bereavement leave for staff is only three days. It’s bullshit. We are still close friends to this day, and she still doesn’t know or suspect that it was me. Whenever she asked me about taking a few days off, I always had the perfect excuse that year: 'I need the money, so I’m saving up the days so they pay them to me when I resign.' I was going to resign nine months after, and she knew that because we told each other everything. I don’t want her to know. It’s my little secret. I love her to bits and would do it again in a heartbeat. I never told this story to anyone. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share it."
9."One of the homeless guys near where I work was distraught one Monday morning because his dog got picked up by rangers after fireworks on the weekend. I called the local pound, found Rosey, and tried to pay for her to be released. I suppose my partner knows, so it isn't a secret. The pound wouldn't let me pay via phone, as they thought I was under duress. So my partner drove an hour, got my card, and went and paid the release fees."
10."Mine is really small: This year, my boyfriend’s birthday was on the weekend, and he spent half the day playing video games with his best friend from high school who now lives across the world from us. I realized his best friend had forgotten what day it was, so when my boyfriend went to the bathroom, I picked up his headset and reminded his best friend that today was his birthday as quietly as I could."
11."I leave $20 bills in my mom’s purses or pockets of her jackets sometimes when she isn’t around. I know $20 isn’t that much, but I know how kind of exciting it feels to find some extra cash when you aren’t expecting it. I started doing it since my dad passed away earlier this year because I know financially it’s harder for her now. Again, $20 here and there isn’t much, but I hope it makes her smile."
12."I had a motorbike for years and my overbearing mother never found out, not even the slightest clue. Considering that she inserted herself into every aspect of my life, I am super proud of the fact that I had this whole hobby to myself and bought, maintained (and hid) a motorbike for years. I know it's a small victory, but when you have a helicopter parent, it's very difficult to have things that are truly 'yours.'"
13."I bought a bed for a friend in another state who just got off the streets and was sleeping on a ripped air mattress that kept deflating throughout the night. It was his first apartment ever, deep in the projects, and he had absolutely nothing in it. The way he was prancing and hollering out of happiness and excitement will never leave my mind. My family and most of my other friends will never know, especially with how much money I owe everyone."
Is there a secret you've kept this whole time that you're incredibly proud of? Tell us what it is and what happened in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
